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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Aug 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: For Illinois Dems, the party’s over, but the phone calls are just getting started. Crain’s…
* Tribune | At DNC, survivors of gun violence and families of victims share their stories: The other survivors and family members turned advocates each told their stories Thursday, at times becoming emotional. Democrats in the arena could be seen wiping their eyes at one point as a screen behind the speakers projected the words, “Freedom From Gun Violence.” The advocates were led by Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath, who became an activist against gun violence after her 17-year-old son was shot in 2012 by a white man who was angry over the loud music the Black teenager and his friends were playing. * Daily Herald | Time to ‘end the anger politics’: Illinois Democrats push unity agenda: With Chicago’s Democratic National Convention wrapping up, Illinois delegates begin pivoting to what will be a bruising election. But Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear stressed bipartisanship Thursday at the contingent’s final breakfast caucus. “It seems like the last eight years — every day has been an ‘us vs. them,’ a boiling point in our country where we’ve been asked to pick a side on everything from the car you drive to the beer you drink. Somehow beer got political,” Beshear commented to laughter. * Sun-Times | Illinois first lady MK Pritzker revels in Chicago DNC vibe: ‘The whole place just feels of feminine energy!’: “In a week, Gwen Walz, the wife of [Kamala’s veepmate] Tim Walz, had only hours to turn her life around … and she has now become everybody’s definition of a best friend,” said the state’s first lady, stunned when “Gwen” walked by “unescorted” at a private Pritzker party this past week at the Salt Shed. “It’s like someone threw her in a blender of adorable, kind, non-demanding and considerate,” MK chirped. “She’s the real deal * Tribune | Despite rumors, no surprise performance from Beyoncé or Taylor Swift at the DNC: Those wandering in the United Center in the afternoon heard a sound check (albeit from another singer) using her song “Cuff It.” Plus, Harris had been cleared to use Beyoncé’s 2016 song, “Freedom,” in campaign videos on social media (who rarely licenses her music). A friend of Barack and Michelle Obama, the singer’s 2022 album “Renaissance” also featured an allusion to her disdain for former President Donald Trump: “Votin’ out 45, don’t get outta line.” Trump was the nation’s 45th president. * Block Club | ‘We Delivered’: Mayor Brandon Johnson Touts DNC Successes Ahead Of Convention’s Final Night: During a brief interview with Block Club on Thursday, Johnson said he hopes the DNC will lead to more federal dollars to support the Chicago Transit Authority, build affordable housing and support neighborhood public schools. The mayor also praised the federal support the Police Department received before the convention to buy three new helicopters this year. * Crain’s | O’Hare plans to sell $1B in bonds as terminal project moves ahead: With approval from O’Hare’s carriers, led by United and American airlines, to move ahead with construction, the city is starting to raise the billions required to pay for it. The bond sale is another sign that things are finally moving ahead on the main part of the project, which was announced in 2018. * Block Club | Trio’s Pizza, A Beloved Northwest Side Spot, Is Back In Business: “I’ve been waiting two years for this,” said Don Galiano, a neighbor and devoted Trio’s customer said. “I don’t think I’ve had a decent pizza since they closed.” After being closed for about two years, Trio’s Pizza, 7009 W. Higgins Ave., is back in business. The restaurant has new owners and menu items, and the interior has been completely renovated. However, the pizza joint kept a key ingredient: Frank Scianna. * Sun-Times | Cook County judge, in office for less than 2 years, is named to panel that rules on judicial misconduct: Raines-Welch, who’s married to Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, is one of two circuit judges on the commission, whose authority to punish judges for wrongdoing includes being able to remove them from the bench. Chief Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis won’t say why Raines-Welch was picked for the unpaid post, whose term runs until the end of 2026. * Crain’s | The state’s vision for Peotone airport includes some surprises: Although the South Suburban Airport has most recently been discussed as primarily a cargo airport, the project details released by the Illinois Department of Transportation include the possibility of a passenger terminal. “IDOT’s objective is that the (South Suburban Airport) will include commercial passenger service, cargo operations, and general aviation activities,” the document says. * SJ-R | Grayson to appear in Sangamon County court Monday. What to expect: A former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy charged with murder will make his first traditional pre-trial court appearance at 9 a.m. Monday. Sean P. Grayson, 30, fatally shot Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman and mother of two children inside her home in the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue in an unincorporated part of Woodside Township. * WCIA | City of Decatur offering Lunch & Learn for minority contractors: The city of Decatur is teaming up with the Metro Decatur Black Chamber of Commerce to hold a lunch and learn to teach minority contractors on the bidding process. […] The event is for both established and prospective contractors. Attendees will learn how to tell if they are qualified and how to bid on City of Decatur Public Works and Economic & Community Development projects. * SJ-R | ‘Confrontational and reactive’: UIS outlines expectations for men’s and women’s golf coach: Anonymous allegations surfaced against Leotta in a 2aDays.com report on July 9 before a former player supported those claims in a subsequent State Journal-Register article on July 30. The allegations ranged from verbal and emotional abuse to reckless driving. * The Bee | Lawmaker defends Google deal to fund California newsrooms, as labor criticism grows The $242.5 million deal has led to the demise of Assembly Bill 886, authored by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, which would have made Big Tech pay for news that appears on its platforms in perpetuity. Wicks, in an interview Thursday with The Bee, said the public-private deal represented the best of what was actually achievable, and called it a win for California journalism. * New Yorker | Elon Musk’s Surging Political Activism: Beyond the self-serving speciousness of Maduro’s actions, his concerns about Musk’s propensity to meddle in politics and the affairs of nations are not without foundation. Since Musk acquired Twitter, in 2022—and rebranded it as X, a year ago—the onetime libertarian multibillionaire has increasingly propagated far-right viewpoints. He endorsed a post on X promoting an antisemitic conspiracy theory, shared a since-deleted link to unsubstantiated claims involving the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, and said that “the Biden-Harris Administration is importing vast numbers of voters.”
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- TJ - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 8:39 am:
All things considered, the DNC went about as borderline perfectly as could’ve been hoped for given the preemptive handwringing at best and doom-wishing at worst that you saw all over the place in the weeks leading up to the convention. I even saw some (other) terminally online folks preemptively hyperventilating that a supposed guest speaker was laughably going to be Dubya almost up until the moment Harris stepped out onto the stage.
Hopefully 2024 and 1996 serve as positive reminders that folks shouldn’t default harken back to 1968 and host more political conventions here.
And those IBEW shirts are fantastic. Reminds me of my always remembered too late idea to exclusively dress our kid in obnoxious and rare colors whenever we go out in a crowd to make sure we never lose sight of him. Also of a time when my old frat had a special event puke green shirt that looked disgusting in a vacuum, but the sight of about a hundred folks on a small campus all wearing it between classes and walking around the quad really highlighted the importance of standing out to get the word out.
- Dance Band on the Titanic - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 8:44 am:
That photo of her niece watching Auntie Kamala accept the nomination will be iconic.
“@IBEW we light up the Party and glow good” for the win
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 8:56 am:
Better probably that Beyoncé or Taylor Swift didn’t show up. There were previous complaints that the convention was going on too long into the night. Many political speakers needed to go on stage, like former Rep. Kinzinger. He and VP Harris delivered great speeches. There’s so much cheering and tremendous enthusiasm, great enthusiasm, the likes of which no one has ever seen. In seriousness, it was a great success given how it could have turned out. Great job by police and peaceful protesters also.
- Arock - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 9:07 am:
Governor Pritzker, abortion is not reproductive healthcare. If a woman seeks an elective abortion, it is not because her reproductive system needs any care because it must already be functioning properly. An elective abortion is for ending a life that was made by a properly functioning reproductive system. What we need is a healthcare system that makes sure every woman that is pregnant has access to proper medical care before and after her child is born. As well as proper medical care for the child before and after birth.
- TJ - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 9:10 am:
@Arock - using that logic, literally any type of elective procedure isn’t healthcare. Nonsensical.
- thechampaignlife - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 9:36 am:
Re: the college enrollment cliff, we need to seriously consider implementing direct admissions (https://forum.illinois.edu/Direct-Admission).
- BobIsMyUncle - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 9:54 am:
@Arock, abortion is absolutely health care. What we need is people to quit trying to control women - including you.
- Demoralized - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 10:07 am:
==Governor Pritzker, abortion is not reproductive healthcare.==
I’m going to take a line from Governor Walz’s speech: “Mind your own damn business.”
Too many busybodies who think they have a right to insert themselves into the medical care of others.
- Norseman - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 10:45 am:
Freedom is me, my family and my neighbors being protected from getting preventable, but deadly communicable diseases from uninformed people who believe baloney on the internet.
- Proud Papa Bear - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 11:18 am:
Those IBEW shirts are fab.
I’ll admit I’ve had trouble with Kamala’s name because when I was a kid, there was a professional wrestler with the same name but it was pronounced differently. For the VP, I just think of the comma punctuation mark.
- @misterjayem - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 11:28 am:
“I’ll admit I’ve had trouble with Kamala’s name because when I was a kid, there was a professional wrestler with the same name but it was pronounced differently.”
Same.
R.I.P. Sugar Bear Harris.
– MrJM
- JS Mill - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 11:36 am:
Demoralized and Cool Pappa Bell for the win.
- Telly - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 11:37 am:
Re: college enrollment cliff
As a parent of college age and near college age children, I get a vibe that attending a “directional” state university just isn’t cool enough for Illinois kids — it doesn’t create good social media content. I just don’t sense kids make the same utilitarian choices when picking a college that my generation of Illinois high school graduates did. Not sure there is much our state universities can do about that.
- Keyrock - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 11:47 am:
What a shock. The Illinois Supreme Court made a thoroughly inappropriate political appointment.
The people change, but the song remains the same.
- The Dude Abides - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 12:15 pm:
=I’ll admit I’ve had trouble with Kamala’s name because when I was a kid, there was a professional wrestler with the same name but it was pronounced differently.=
For a pro wrestling heuristic that helps, think of Kama (fka Papa Shango, Godfather, Goodfather).
- H-W - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 12:42 pm:
Re: Enrollment Issue
First, thanks Isabel for keeping an eye on this issue.
The problem with enrollment trends is significant, but the solution is more complicated than direct enrollment might suggest. DIrect Enrollment does not address the cost of higher education directly, since universities like U of I have economies of scale that allow them to adjust tuition and fees (as well as room and board) so as to guarantee the number of students who will be admitted. Doing so guarantees their funding formula, regardless of the variable number of potential students who will attend college each year. Thus, over the past decade, when there have been fewer and fewer students matriculating, U of I has maintained its enrollment portfolio by pilfering students who in the past would have attended regional publics. I do not judge U of I for doing so - at the micro (organizational) level, it is good business practice.
But when the number of students is declining system wide, the failure of the state to effectively and efficiently manage its enrollments across the system will always lead to crises in some state institutions. It is a macro problem at the state level that must be managed, lest the state allow its system to crumble on the perimeters of the system.
I sent the Governor a letter last week suggesting ways to maintain the state’s public higher education system for the long run, so as to ensure that the system’s smaller campuses maintain their infrastructure and viability for the future, when the population inevitable rebounds.
The state is not a business in the context of macroeconomic modelling. Each facility does not exist independently. The state provides education for its citizens by keeping the system strong. I have read arguments from a microeconomic perspective suggesting if there are not enough students, then cuts should be made. That crass argument makes many assumptions that are just false. For example, if the number of students determines the number of faculty, then I (a professor) should be paid according to the number of students I teach. But I am not. I am paid a salary to teach classes, regardless of their size. This semester, I am teaching four classes, with 145 total students. Next semester, I may teach more or fewer students, but my pay will not change. The micro-economic model that assumes students are paying customers also assumes the price of education will vary each semester depending on the number of “consumers.” But it will not I will be paid a salary for a year’s work, not according to the “profit margin” determined by the number of student “customers. And the state cannot adjust the “prices” of tuition, fees, room and board to offset variance in the number of consumers, or the number of classes offered, or credit hour production, etc.
That is because the state is not in the business of profiting off its services. The state (unlike private universities) is in the business of providing sufficient services to its citizenry over the long run.
I suggested to the Governor that when tuition and fee revenues decline, the offset must be in the form of additional and variable state appropriations across the system, so as to maintain the system for the long run (e.g., the state exists in a macroeconomic realm, not a microeconomics model).
In addition, I suggested the Governor can use the IBHE to steer (allocate) student throughout the system, via adjustments to the MAP Grant funding program. Currently, MAP Grants operate as a voucher system - all who apply receive funding, regardless of where they take those funds. By prioritizing the diversity of system wide needs (at the macro-level), grants can be used to steer students so as to assure the long term viability of the system.
There are other strategies that can be used by the state to maintain its educational system and indeed, increase the effectiveness of the system in terms of meeting the state goal of creating a strong workforce and an informed electorate. But doing so requires a vision of the long term needs of the system, and a pricing model that acknowledges annual variances (across the 9 institutions) in terms of tuition revenues, and hence state appropriations.
Let us remember - in the future there will always be more and fewer students. But allowing those numbers to continuously drive down the quality and nature of education offered will only do damage to the system in the long run.
- Demoralized - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 1:33 pm:
==the offset must be in the form of additional and variable state appropriations==
Ok. Now come up with a plan for the state to be able to viably do that.
==the failure of the state to effectively and efficiently manage its enrollments across the system==
To manage it? It’s not the state’s job to force kids to go to a specific college.
==grants can be used to steer students so as to assure the long term viability of the system==
Again with your “management” of where kids go. So try to force them to go someplace they don’t want to go by holding their funding hostage? It’s not the student’s job to keep your “system” up and running. It’s your job to convince them that they should come to your institution.
- Telly - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 2:31 pm:
Not sure what the answer is to the university enrollment problem, but I do have an idea about where we should look for some clues: UIC.
25 years ago UIC had very similar enrollment numbers, admission standards, and costs compared to ISU, SIUC, NIU. In the years since, UIC’s enrollment has grown steadily, while enrollment at Carbondale and Northern has completely tanked. Enrollment has been stagnant at ISU.
- H-W - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 2:37 pm:
@ Demoralized
Bad hair day?
Surely you can see how your “laissez faire marketplace model” is flawed with regard to the role of the state in providing affordable education to all of it’s citizenry. The public system of higher education is not a marketing place of competing entities in which the best business wins and all others fail. That’s a microeconomics model.
And who said anything about forcing anyone (well, you did but not me)? I am talking about differential pricing and differential appropriations so as to ensure the health of the system in the long run.
I suppose we could build a Bears Stadium over here if in fact it is our requirement to outcompete U of I. But that seems less reasonable. Have a great weekend.
- Pundent - Friday, Aug 23, 24 @ 4:23 pm:
=I do have an idea about where we should look for some clues: UIC.=
The transformation of the neighborhood in which UIC resides may have played a large part in that.